January 2016

Genderswap stories proliferate in fandom: from Harriet Potter to Jeanne Picard to Shirley Holmes. The genre gained a foothold during the early 1990s, when queer fanfiction surged in popularity due to its transition from print-based zines to online. One of the most influential genderswap fics is My Fair Jeanne (Ruth Gifford, 1995), a Star Trek: The Next Generation fic in which Captain Picard is transformed into a woman by the alien trickster known as Q. By definition, genderswap fanfiction //

Some people find it boring to write from detailed outlines, because they enjoy discovering the story while writing. If you are one of these people, I have a technique for you too in this article! However, I can’t imagine trying to juggle plot, characterization, and writing style all at the same time. I’m also too much of a control freak to leave it up to chance. Additionally, if you only have a limited time to write, then a detailed outline helps you dip in and out of the writing //

The first time I fell head over heels for an antagonist was when I read Interview with the Vampire at the wise old age of thirteen. I instantly became enthralled with Lestat in all his robust glory and his snarky, large personality despite him being portrayed as a selfish monster. I’ve always been fascinated by antagonists that don’t quite seem to understand they are the villain in someone else’s story. Eventually as a writer, and as a consumer of media, it became important for me to //

The structure of romance stories traditionally looks something like this: Meet Cute Relationship Development Black Moment Resolution Happily Ever After The terms Meet Cute and Black Moment may not mean anything to fanfic readers, but they’re almost always present in well-written fics. The meet cute is when two protagonists meet for the first time or first see each other as possible romantic partners (this second option happens most often in the case of friends-to-lovers stories, though //

Any fan work creator will tell you there’s a very specific process we go through when we create a new work. We finish it, pretty up the formatting for web, shoot it out into the great yawning void of the internet—and then we wait. We watch the hits count up, and we continually refresh our inbox waiting for the most anticipated of interactions with other fans: comments. Whether you’re posting on FanFiction.net (in which case they’re called reviews instead), Archive of Our //

Historically, it’s almost always been the case that “the book is better.” Adaptations cut out entire chapters, leave significant scenes on the cutting room floor, and close the door on the innermost thoughts of characters. When I heard about the movie adaptation of The Martian, I groaned, because I didn’t think the book would film well (Thankfully, the movie turned out to be absolutely brilliant). One of the largest differences between books and their adaptations comes //

Science in Popular Culture is a column by contributor Jae Bailey. In this column, Jae explores the science and technology of bionic limbs, arc reactors, and Death Stars in popular culture. WARNING: This article may contain spoilers for The Force Awakens. In the new Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, the original trilogy’s evil Empire has been replaced by the more sinister First Order. While the Empire couldn’t get enough of building planet destroying death stars, the First //

About

FAN/FIC is an online magazine for fanfic readers and writers. We publish compelling articles and personal essays about fan culture, practical advice on how to improve your craft, and interviews with people in the community.